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These Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies take classic chocolate chip cookies and elevates them to the next level. These shortbread cookies have the best macadamia nut taste and are baked with mini chocolate chips!

stacked cookies with chocolate chips baked into the cookie on a cutting board.


Chocolate Chip Shortbread Recipe

These cookies are an incredible copycat of my families favorites that we eat in Hawaii from Honolulu Cookie Company! The Honolulu Cookie Company makes amazing shortbread cookies that are crunchy and so good and I made this copycat because it used to be hard to find them stateside. They are a fan favorite of my family and I, so I knew I had to recreate them!

Shortbread cookies have the best texture and that pairs perfectly with crushed macadamia nuts and chocolate chips! It truly is the ultimate combination that you won’t find very often! This chocolate chip shortbread cookie recipe is the best little dessert to have any time of year, any time of day! Everyone who you serve them to will be asking for the recipe!

Ingredients Needed

  • Unsalted Butter: I always use unsalted butter in my recipes but you can swap salted butter by reducing added salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
  • Vegetable Oil: A little bit of oil helps these come together and makes them crunchy.
  • Granulated Sugar: This can be substituted with Turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw).
  • Macadamia Nuts: Finely crushed to give the perfect macadamia taste and crunch.
  • Mini Chocolate Chips: Mini chocolate chips make this recipe what it is – a little bit of chocolate in every bite.

How to make Easy Chocolate Chip Shortbread

  • Line cookie sheets with silpat baking mats or parchment paper.
  • Make sure you’ve crushed your macadamia nuts very small. Use a food processor to make it easier.
  • Mix butter, oil, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You can also use a hand mixer but it will take a long time to come together. Add vanilla extract, flour, and salt and mix until combined. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl while mixing. Mix in finely crushed macadamia nuts and chocolate chips and stir combined.
  • Scoop 1 tablespoon balls of cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets. These don’t spread much so you can place them closer together than a normal cookie. Press dough balls down slightly with the palm of your hand or a spatula. Chill cookies on cookie sheets for 15 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.  Bake chilled cookies for about 12 minutes, until they start to get golden around the edges. Let cool completely before removing from cookie sheets. Cookies are crumbly and buttery. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
stacked cookies with chocolate chips baked into the cookie on a cutting board.

Expert Tips

  • You can make these cookies with granulated sugar, but you could also use Turbinado as a replacement for that if you’d like.
  • Using an electric mixer will help you a lot because this dough does take a while to mix.
  • Make sure you use mini chocolate chips. With these cookies size, the minis go best!
  • Store cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

FAQs

How do you store these cookies?

You can store them at room temperature for up to 3 days in an airtight container or covered with a piece of plastic wrap.

Can you freeze these cookies?

You can! Freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

stacked cookies with chocolate chips baked into the cookie on a cutting board.

Macadamia Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies Recipe

4.31 from 42 votes
These Macadamia Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies are buttery and soft and the perfect shortbread cookie! Filled with finely crushed macadamia nuts, the flavor is one of the best ever – especially with chocolate chips!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Yield 30 cookies
Serving Size 1 cookie

Ingredients
 

  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter , softened
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • cup (67g) granulated sugar (or use cane sugar/sugar in the raw)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups (155g) all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • cup (42g) macadamia nuts , finely crushed
  • ½ cup (85g) mini chocolate chips
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Instructions

  • Line cookie sheets with silpat baking mats or parchment paper.
  • Make sure you’ve crushed your macadamia nuts very small. Use a food processor to make it easier.
  • Mix butter, oil, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You can also use a hand mixer. Add vanilla, flour, and salt and mix until combined. Mix in finely crushed nuts and chocolate chips and stir combined.
  • Scoop 1 tablespoon balls of cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets. These don’t spread much so you can place them closer together than a normal cookie. Press dough balls down slightly with the palm of your hand. Chill cookies on cookie sheets for 15 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.  Bake chilled cookies for about 12 minutes, until they start to get golden around the edges. Let cool completely before removing from cookie sheets. Cookies are crumbly and buttery. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Recipe Notes

  • This recipe has been slightly edited from the original – I added 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. I found that it made it easier to mix and made them taste more authentic to the original.
  • Originally I made these with turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw) but when I remade them I used granulated. You can use either.
  • The dough takes a LONG time to mix. Use a stand mixer if you have one. A hand mixer will take a long time, and might need your hands help to get it into a cohesive dough.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 85kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 101IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

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Last Updated on December 12, 2023



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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70 Comments

  1. COULD I USE AN EGG IN THIS RECIPE? I MADE THESE LIKE 3 WEEKS AGO AND WHILE MY FAMILY LOVED THEM THEY WERE EXTREMELY CRUMBLY

  2. On the shortbread cookie recipe it calls for 1 cup of butter and oil.  Do the cookies spread and flatten out?  Also, I am so happy that I signed up to receive emails from you.  Love to receive all your recipes.

    1. No, they stay pretty thick. They spread a teeny bit but not a lot, and that’s because I gently tap them down a bit with my palm before baking. The oil helps keep them moist (instead of crumbly, like a normal shortbread).

  3. I made these today and they were delicious! I used turbinado sugar and they added a perfect sweetness and crunch. Plus they were a cute little size, perfect for whenever I do dessert parties – thank you for the recipe!

  4. These look great; I can’t wait to make them. I was just wondering do you need to use unsalted macadamia nuts or will salted ones be fine?

  5. Wow! Just popped in to check out your Macadamia Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies recipe (Pinned!). I absolutely love a good shortbread, and the chocolate and macadamia nuts in these are going to put them right up over the top for me when I make them this weekend! On my way to your “Zucchini Favorites” (and maybe a few others I can’t live without) now. I feel a baking spree coming on! Thanks!

  6. I felt the same exact way about the nuts being just as expensive over there, but these cookies are worth it!! 😀